Kerala - Kollam   

Scars heal on this island two years after the tragedy

Ignatius Pereira

TsunamiRevisit

NEW LIFE: A rehabilitation colony in Alapad.

KOLLAM: If the December 26, 2004 tsunami devastated the northern portion of Alapad, the second anniversary of that disaster sees the 18-km-long island transformed into a model township. Dedicated efforts of non-governmental and voluntary organisations, backed by the State Government, made this possible.

The then District Collector, B. Srinivas, had played a prime role in coordinating the efforts to rebuild Alapad from rubble.

The immediate concern of the rehabilitation programme was provision of houses to those who had their homes washed away by the killer waves. The task was Herculean. As many as 2,949 houses were needed. In addition to them, another 39 houses were constructed following an adalat conducted by the Collector.

Within two years, the task has been almost achieved. Twenty-two voluntary organisations joined hands to achieve that task.

Except for 169 houses remaining to be constructed by one of the voluntary organisations, the rest have been handed over to the beneficiaries. Following a decision taken by the Government, care had been taken not to build on the western side of the 14-km Velanathuruthu-Azheekal road, an area too close to the sea.

The Government allowed the victims to choose between Alapad and the mainland as the site of their new homes. A good number of them opted for the mainland. They have been accommodated in little townships in the limits of the grama panchayats of Klapana, Kulashekarapuram, Adinad, Ayanivelikulangara and Karunagapally. Land for these townships had been acquired by the Government and handed over to the voluntary organisations.

For those who opted to stay back at Alapad, disaster-resistant houses were constructed. Water and power supply connections were a gift from the Government. With Rs. 1 crore pooled from the special allocation made by eight MPs, work on a building to convert the primary health centre into a community health centre has begun. The Government has identified land for constructing an old-age home at a cost of Rs. 45 lakh allocated by three MPs.

The Government Upper Primary School at Azheekal has been upgraded into a high school. While work on a bridge connecting Alapad to the mainland at Ayiramthengu is progressing, preliminary work for constructing a similar bridge from Kallumootilkadavu in Alapad has been completed. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math commissioned a footbridge from Alapad to the mainland last week.

Under a funding programme from the Asian Development Bank, the Velanathuruthu-Azheekal road is to be developed as a model road. The Public Works Department will start work in February.

World Vision has constructed a medical sub-centre at Alapad. With 75 per cent World Bank funding, 14 anganwadi buildings were constructed. Apart from constructing 740 houses for the tsunami victims, the Quilon Social Service Society revived a byroad and presented implements such as fibreglass boats and fishing nets to affected fishermen.

With Rs. 1 crore from the Asian Development Bank, a community resource centre with vocational training facilities was recently inaugurated at Alapad.

The Government announced an exclusive tsunami rehabilitation programme for Alapad in October.

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